No one can say for sure before the first meeting, and I cannot promise. Research shows therapy works for many issues such as anxiety, panic and depression. But a method working does not mean it will help everyone in the same way.
What I see is this: the people who benefit most are those who feel safe with the person they work with and are willing to try small steps. So the first sessions are partly about getting to know each other. After three or four sessions we review together.
The first session is an introduction and assessment. We start by talking about confidentiality and how sessions work. Then you describe what brings you, in your own words and from wherever you like.
I ask a few questions: how long it has been like this, how it affects your daily life, who supports you. At the end we name what you hope for from therapy and decide how to continue. You are never pushed to tell anything.
It varies from person to person and topic to topic. Structured CBT for a specific anxiety or panic often takes 10–20 sessions. Long-standing relationship patterns or schema therapy can take longer.
At first we usually meet weekly. As we progress we space sessions to every two weeks, then close with a few check-in sessions. We decide together when to finish; you can take a break whenever you want.
What you say in sessions is confidential. I never audio or video record sessions; I keep only my own brief notes, stored locked or encrypted. Your family, employer or insurer cannot get any information without your written permission.
There are two exceptions: if your life or someone else’s is in clear and serious danger, and where there is a legal obligation (such as a court order). We talk about these openly in the first session.
Research shows that, especially for CBT, online sessions give results close to in-person sessions for many issues. I work online with about half of my clients.
For online sessions to work, a few things matter: a closed room where no one can hear you, headphones and a stable connection. During a crisis, or if you have no private space at home, I recommend meeting in person.
Psychologists cannot prescribe or change medication; that is a psychiatrist’s decision. Many people work with therapy alone. In some cases medication and therapy together are more suitable, for example when there is a marked drop in sleep, appetite and daily functioning.
When I think it is needed I say so openly and, if you wish, suggest psychiatrists I work with. If you already take medication, always talk to your doctor before stopping it yourself.
Yes. You don’t need everything to go wrong to come to therapy. Some people come during a time of decision, after a change, or simply to understand themselves better.
It still matters that we name our aim together, so after a few sessions we can see what helps. We can talk about this in the intro call; sometimes a few sessions are enough.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a structured, research-supported approach focusing on the cycles of thought, feeling and behaviour that keep current difficulties going. There are short tasks between sessions.
Schema therapy builds on CBT and works with patterns born of unmet childhood needs that repeat in adult life. It uses experiential techniques such as imagery and chair work and usually takes longer.
People rarely come to a first session with a diagnosis; they come with a sentence. These are the ones I hear most often, and each opens a page on how we work with it.
I am Elif. I have worked with adults for fifteen years.
Most of my clients arrive at the first session saying "I don't know where to start". So that is where I start: we talk through what is on your mind in order, without hurry, as if writing it down.
I work with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and schema therapy. Sessions are structured but not rigid; together we look at what works and change direction when needed.
in short: how thoughts, feelings and actions connect + patterns we learned long ago
2003–2007
BSc in PsychologyHacettepe University, Ankara
2008–2011
MSc in Clinical Psychology (thesis)Hacettepe University, Ankara
2011–2016
Clinical psychologistPsychiatry department of a training and research hospital, Istanbul
One of the tools we use most in sessions is the thought record: we write a difficult moment down in five columns. The example below is fictional, but its structure is real.
sample record · fictional
What happened?
Monday meeting. I finished my presentation and my manager said nothing.
We write the situation the way a camera would see it, without interpretation.
What went through my mind
She didn’t like it. I never get anything quite right.
The sentence that flashes through your mind in that moment. Most of the time we do not even notice it.
What did I feel?
Shame 80, anxiety 70. My stomach tightened.
Emotion and body. A score from 0 to 100 makes comparing later easier.
For and against
The meeting ran late, she commented on no one. Last month she praised the same work.
We treat the thought like a claim: which facts support it, which do not?
A more balanced sentence
I read the silence in only one way. If I’m curious, I can ask.
The aim is not positive thinking; it is finding a more realistic and more useful sentence.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
It looks at today: we notice the link between thoughts, feelings and actions, and try small experiments between sessions. The thought record is the notebook of this work.
“I never get anything quite right” is a very old acquaintance.
Schema therapy
When the same sentence has been repeating for years, we look at where it was learned. Patterns learned early in life can still speak loudly today; recognising them is the first step to answering them differently.
Intro callA short introduction by phone or online; not a session.15 minFreeRequest this
Individual session, in personModa, Kadıköy. The first session has the same fee.50 min3.500 TLVAT includedRequest this
Individual session, onlineEnd-to-end encrypted video call.50 min3.500 TLVAT includedRequest this
Long sessionFor imagery work in schema therapy; agreed together.75 min5.000 TLVAT included
Cancellation and rescheduling
You can cancel or reschedule free of charge up to 24 hours before. Later cancellations are charged; we talk together about situations like sudden illness.
Payment and receipts
Payment is made on the day of the session by bank transfer or card. A receipt is issued for every session.
Starting on time
Sessions start and end on time. If you are late, the session still ends as planned; if I am late, the time is added.
